Ten days ago we set out on vacation. For more than 2000 miles we used our cell phone GPS to guide us through 5 different states.
We argued which system was better, Apple or Google. Sometimes we wondered if either of them knew where we were and where we were going. We found ourselves on narrow back roads with an expanding ETA. In the absence of an old fashioned map, we had no choice but to keep going and trust the GPS. Trust that the American female voice would guide us turn by turn. Trust that some how “she” had a birds eye view of the journey and knew exactly how to get us to our final destination.
Isn’t that how it is on our walk with the Lord? He sets us out on a journey, destination unknown. We have to trust Him step by step and turn by turn to get to the place He wants us to be.
Through several seasons of life I have gone back to Joshua chapter 3, where Joshua prepared to lead the children in to the Promised Land. In verses 3 and 4 the people are told “when you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God…..go after it….that you may know the way which you shall go because you have not been this way before.”
Breast cancer, foster parent, and the loss of a beloved Grandmother are all places I had never been before. Each time I had to trust the Presence of the Lord to show me the way through.
Unlike my cell phone GPS, I never have to wonder if He knows where I am. Matthew 10:29-31 says Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
I can trust that He will lead me each step of the way if I seek His presence and His word. Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
I can trust that He has a full view of the destination and will be faithful to bring me through just as He delivered the children of Israel to the Promised Land. The journey was not short, quick or easy. In Joshua chapter 24, he calls the people together and recaps the journey, hundreds of years in the making. He recounts the events, twists and turns, seemingly dead ends and miraculous provision. It was the LORD our God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. (vs.17)
The Israelites, just like you and I, had to battle the fear of the unknown. Quite frankly, they failed miserably. When they thought they were trapped between the Egyptians and the Red Sea, God opened the sea and they walked across on dry land. He provided food every morning and night. The pillars of cloud and fire provided them with flawless directions. His faithfulness to them despite their disobedience and unbelief was extravagant. I’d like to think that if I had personally witnessed these events, I would have responded differently. The truth is I HAVE witnessed miracles, and yet sometimes I find myself in the vice grip of fear and unbelief. The only solution is to seek His Presence for He will surely lead me through the place I have not been before, once again.
Has He placed you on a new journey? Are you trusting Him to guide you step by step? How do you handle the fear of the unknown?
